Month: September 2018
Deciding what to do with a basketcase car is one of the toughest decisions for people who’ve already invested time, money, and love into their classic car restorations. At the same time, there are plenty of vintage car veterans who are always ready to finish a difficult project. Whether you want to put the final touches on a half-finished car or you just can’t find the time to complete your own, you need to know how to save yourself time, frustration, and money. Here are a few things to consider before you buy, finish, or sell a basketcase car.
When You Want to Buy a Basketcase
Restoring a basketcase can be a challenging but rewarding experience. However, there are often good reasons why other enthusiasts are eager to get their incomplete hotrods and muscle cars off their hands. Before you invest in an old project, you’ll need to make these important considerations:
*Safety comes first. If the car you’re considering doesn’t even have breaks, an engine, or a steering wheel yet, then you may not have much to worry about. Otherwise, you should test the car in a safe, empty area. You need to make sure the owner is being honest about the car’s reliability and safety – or lack thereof.
*Check the frame and body. Cars that look like they’re on their last legs can sometimes be restored to their previous luster – but only if they still have solid foundations. If a classic car’s frame and body are in decent shape, then there’s good chance you’ll be able to make some headway on its restoration. If not, you’re looking at a bottomless money pit.
*Look for cover-ups. Some restorers and shops will cover large patches of rust and even holes with sheet metal. They don’t always do so maliciously, but unnoticed rust is extremely dangerous. It’s especially important to check for defects in places where larger parts have been replaced.
Sourcing Your Parts
When you’re restoring a barely-finished basketcase, you’ll need to find the best places to get your parts. If a previous owner didn’t get the project finished, it may have been because the necessary components were hard to find, too expensive, or both. Before you even make the purchase, it’s important that you find out how you’re going to get what you need – and what it’s all going to cost.
Once you’ve figured out what parts are necessary, you can check the online inventories of specialty shops across the country. There are also junkyards full of classic cars with parts for the taking, though you’ll need to go in person to see what’s available. Ultimately, you’re going to incur the greatest costs if you need foreign parts or shipping for large items.
When to Call it Quits
Even if you’ve lovingly labored over a classic car for years, there may come a time when you have to move on. A project will sometimes seem too good to be true when you first start – yet it becomes nothing but a financial drain further down the road. Your priorities and interests might also change, leaving you with an immobile heap in your garage or driveway.
Whatever the case may be, you can still get back some of your hard-earned money. Contact a professional classic car restorer now and inquire if they purchase or are interested in purchasing a basketcase project from you.
Car Seat Covers and the Fabric Options Available
If you are considering buying car seat covers, you may be a bit overwhelmed at the multiple fabric options that are available. The aim of this article is to help explain the different seat cover options in order to help you make your decision.
Car seat covers can be an excellent investment when chosen carefully. Here is a brief overview of seat cover fabrics offered. Whichever you choose, make sure that they are quality OEM fabrics backed by soft foam for added comfort and durability.
Microfiber: Microfiber is an extremely comfortable fabric. Not only is it extremely UV fade resistant, but it is also highly stain resilient, too!
Leather: Genuine cowhide leather seat covers offer luxurious look and feel. Many people that buy their cars with the standard cloth opt to buy after market quality OEM seat covers, a very cost effective way to have leather. With a custom made seat cover, you won’t even notice that your car wasn’t purchased with leather seats.
Leatherette: Synthetic leather offers the same luxury as leather, but at a much lower cost. It can be hot in the summer and cold in the winter, so make sure that the seat covers offer small pinholes in the center sections of the seat covers. This allows the seat covers to breathe, making it a very pleasant material selection.
Neoprene: Neoprene is the same material used in wet suits for scuba diving. As a seat cover option, neoprene is extremely durable, UV protected and extremely water resistant.
Endura: Quality OEM Endura material is completely waterproof and very easy to clean. This is a very popular choice for pet travel, fleet vehicles, work trucks or for families with small children. Pet accidents don’t leak through and they actually resist pet hair. Lastly, this fabric option is known for maintaining an even temperature. It is a perfect way to avoid hot seats in the summer and cold ones in the winter.
Velour: Velour is the standard manufactured material that comes in new cars with cloth seats. It is also very durable and fade resistant as a seat cover option, but many people like that it is usually priced the lowest of all fabric options.
Sheepskin: Sheepskin seat covers are typically 100% choice mouton, a dense wool that is about 1 inch in length. Although these have a shorter life expectancy that other seat cover options, they offer an unmatched luxurious feel and undeniable comfort.
For some people, insurance is something that is difficult to afford. Budgets are tight for everyone, and if you have never had anything bad happen to you, it is difficult to justify the monthly expenditure for something that you don’t use. The thing is that insurance exists for exactly that reason. You don’t want to use it, but you need to have it just in case. When looking in Santa Maria, California, for insurance services, you want a company that will help you find a good insurance policy that will cover your needs.
Disaster Thinking
When it comes to disaster preparation, people tend to think that it won’t happen to them. If it does happen, it won’t be that bad, and if it is that bad, there is nothing they could have done about it anyway. This same type of thinking permeates the decision to get or not get insurance. However, in contrast to the disaster scenario, insurance can help protect people from financial difficulties that arise from unexpected circumstances.
Homeowner’s Insurance
Your home is likely the largest investment you will ever make. If something were to happen to it, it is unlikely that you could pay for a new one without having severe financial hardship. Having the right insurance for your home is important. You will want to talk to an insurance agent about your current coverage and ask about things like whether it covers flooding and what kind of value you would get if the house ends up being destroyed. Losing a home is traumatic. Losing a home and being unable to replace it while still on the hook for future mortgage payments is a catastrophe.
Car Insurance
You are probably an excellent driver. Car insurance really isn’t to protect you from yourself. Rather, it is to protect you from the other guy. With the proliferation of handheld devices and texting while driving, drivers have become more distracted and dangerous than ever. Because driving seems to come automatically, many drivers believe that they can get away with a quick text, watching YouTube videos, or scrolling through their Facebook feeds. This creates a dangerous situation for all of the other responsible drivers on the road. When one of these drivers hits your vehicle, you will want to be covered because there is no guarantee that they have the right insurance.
Life Insurance
There comes a time in life when the individual needs to start thinking about his or her family. Life insurance is designed to help loved ones after the death of the heads of the family. Whether the husband or wife dies, the resulting financial hardship adds insult to the pain of the loss of a loved one. While money cannot bring the person back, it can help cover the costs of a funeral and help provide financial security as the family adjusts to the loss. The right insurance policies can also be used in emergencies for loans or to get paid out while the individual is still alive. There are many different types of life insurance policies; you will want to talk to a professional about one that is right for you.
For the Family
In Santa Maria, California, insurance services are essential to helping you find the best insurance for your needs. More importantly, they can help you choose a policy that will protect you and your family, now and in the future. By having the right insurance, you will be assured of being protected when a personal disaster like a house fire or car accident happens. It makes a huge difference in any type of recovery to not have bills and financial issues to worry about. Insurance can help with that.